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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

Do you mean reduce the radii of the curves?
reducing it would make it worse. Canting a curve is making is so that the tracks aren't flat - it reduces the G forces the train experiences and allows for faster speeds, though only within reason.

The existing subdivision servicing GM is very low speed since it is just a small subdivision servicing a single customer. The curve radii would only permit very low speeds, even with a cant.

The important thing is for GO to use the existing 401 overpass bridge and while I'm sure that the curve radii can be improved over today, the connection from Oshawa GO to the existing bridge is going to require a pretty tight, lower speed curve, and while the connection to the CP line will be a bit better, won't be able to get a high speed curve without taking out Wal-Mart.
 
So I guess Thornton's Corners station is off-the-table with this alignment?

Yes and good. The only reason it existed was because the spur had to begin before Oshawa GO in the former plan. It was more than a bit redundant.

Now its not needed.
 
reducing it would make it worse. Canting a curve is making is so that the tracks aren't flat - it reduces the G forces the train experiences and allows for faster speeds, though only within reason.

The existing subdivision servicing GM is very low speed since it is just a small subdivision servicing a single customer. The curve radii would only permit very low speeds, even with a cant.

The important thing is for GO to use the existing 401 overpass bridge and while I'm sure that the curve radii can be improved over today, the connection from Oshawa GO to the existing bridge is going to require a pretty tight, lower speed curve, and while the connection to the CP line will be a bit better, won't be able to get a high speed curve without taking out Wal-Mart.

Honestly its fine. Its so close to Oshawa station that the trains wouldnt be able to pick up much speed anyways.

This extension will be serviced by Bi-Levels for quite a while.
 
reducing it would make it worse. Canting a curve is making is so that the tracks aren't flat - it reduces the G forces the train experiences and allows for faster speeds, though only within reason.

The existing subdivision servicing GM is very low speed since it is just a small subdivision servicing a single customer. The curve radii would only permit very low speeds, even with a cant.

The important thing is for GO to use the existing 401 overpass bridge and while I'm sure that the curve radii can be improved over today, the connection from Oshawa GO to the existing bridge is going to require a pretty tight, lower speed curve, and while the connection to the CP line will be a bit better, won't be able to get a high speed curve without taking out Wal-Mart.

Thanks! I hadn't heard of the term "canting a curve" so much appreciated.
 
An agreement with CP has apparently been reached to use the former GM spur over the 401 for the Bowmanville Extension.

A question about the extension was asked at the recent town hall at the 58:06 mark and the CP-GM spur reference comes at around the 1:01:40 mark (the time between is when the question finishes and the answer starts).


As a reminder:

View attachment 219727

Listening to the response, it sounds like they will have to build their own track (we knew this already). I wonder how deep into this extension all-day service will go? I'd hope at least to Ritson Road to serve Oshawa's downtown, and I hope that it would be electrified to at least there.
 
^ It was interesting as well to hear a brief reference to the technical work of figuring out the "separation distance" between the existing CP Rail track(s) and the new GO track(s). Any insight into the distance CP would want? @smallspy @crs1026
 
Those corners are so sharp that even if you were to cant the curves you would have very low speeds.

The term everyone is looking for here is "superelevation". It's a measurement of how much higher the outside rail is versus the inside rail.

Also: all curves, regardless of how fast or slow they are, have some measure of superelevation.

Also, I think the new GO/VIA station was design in such a way to allow for an eastern extension without moving the building or access to the platforms.

View attachment 219827

It absolutely is. The glass-in area in the middle will feature elevators and stairs to meet up with an extended bridge to the VIA platforms. Part of the GO platform and tracks will have to be realigned to make it work, but that's part of the larger redevelopment of Oshawa Station.

Dan
 
Tried the Sunday Funday pass today. Here are some of my observations:

-Took the 9am train to Union and it was surprisingly packed! I expected to be the only one on it, but I there were quite a few families taking advantage of paying $20 for their whole family to get to Niagara and back. The train arrived early and I was impressed how fast and smooth it was.

-The way back was a different story. I decided to take the 5pm bus because I didn't want to wait 2 hours for the train. The amount of padding on the schedule for the 12 is just crazy. We waited for over 10 minutes at St Catherines, and waited at every park and ride along the way where of course no one got on in the time we wasted waiting. There was so much padding that I even thought I'd make an earlier train to Union. See screenshots below. I ran for the platform and watched the train leave as I got there. Not a good look for GO when a busload of people see a train going east as they get to the station.
Screenshot_20191215-181525.jpgScreenshot_20191215-183304.jpg

-I also noticed that a lot of people don't know about this promo. One guy paid cash to get from Niagara Falls to Oshawa, which is probably like $30. Tons of people were tapping their Presto cards all over the place even though it would have been cheaper to buy this pass. I guess we're creatures of habit, so this seems to be a good strategy of price discrimination by GO.

-Also, why is Burlington GO still under construction? It was under construction when I was here in 2009.
 
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Tried the Sunday Funday pass today. Here are some of my observations:

-Took the 9am train to Union and it was surprisingly packed! I expected to be the only one on it, but I there were quite a few families taking advantage of paying $20 for their whole family to get to Niagara and back. The train arrived early and I was impressed how fast and smooth it was.

-The way back was a different story. I decided to take the 5pm bus because I didn't want to wait 2 hours for the train. The amount of padding on the schedule for the 12 is just crazy. We waited for over 10 minutes at St Catherines, and waited at every park and ride along the way where of course no one got on in the time we wasted waiting. There was so much padding that I even thought I'd make an earlier train to Union. See screenshots below. I ran for the platform and watched the train leave as I got there. Not a good look for GO when a busload of people see a train going east as they get to the station.
View attachment 220380View attachment 220381

-I also noticed that a lot of people don't know about this promo. One guy paid cash to get from Niagara Falls to Oshawa, which is probably like $30. Tons of people were tapping their Presto cards all over the place even though it would have been cheaper to buy this pass. I guess we're creatures of habit, so this seems to be a good strategy of price discrimination by GO.

-Also, why is Burlington GO still under construction? It was under construction when I was here in 2009.
Its a Bondfield project and this is happening to all of Bondfield projects by someone else on Bondfield performance bond.
 

New service changes starting January 13th

While small, the mid afternoon trip stopping at Bloor GO makes a big difference for some, eg taking line 2. Though as someone who occasionally visits the west end of Toronto from further west, I think it'll really require an operational Mt Dennis station and Crosstown as well to really chip into the Aberfoyle-Square One-Transitway bus routing and get more people onto the Kitchener line for non-downtown trips and off buses on the 401.
 

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